


One of Us

by stephrc79



Series: The Life of Bucky Barnes [8]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: And That's Why We Love Him, Avengers are larger than life, But no one was hit by it, I mean that in the literal sense, M/M, Mention of Hulk Dick three times to scale, Tony Stark is a narcissist, no really, so there's that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 22:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13133292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephrc79/pseuds/stephrc79
Summary: It's Christmas Day, and Steve and Bucky are spending it at the Stark Expo, despite the fact that Science Nerd!Bucky has been there just about every day since it opened. But there's a new exhibit opening today called Avengers Alley - a hallway dedicated to larger-than-life marble statues of every current member of the Avengers team.Except Bucky - at least as far as Bucky thinks. After all, this is Tony's event, and it's been less than twon weeks since The Anniversary, so Tony isn't known for being the most charitable towards Bucky around this time of year. There's no way Tony thinks of Bucky as one of the team, so there's no way Bucky's going to be featured along with the rest of his friends.The thing is, Bucky doesn't realize that Tony might just know who he really is, at the core of him.~~~~A Christmas Fic based on a prompt frompetite-madameforThe Life of Bucky BarnesUniverse.





	One of Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Petite_Madame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petite_Madame/gifts).



Bucky stared at the storefront entrance, a bright green sign over the door that read ‘STARKBUCKS’, blaring out across the expo. It was just a total loss of words because...because... _why._

“You think it’s wrong of me to wish that Stark using the Starbucks name and ‘logo’” – he made little air quotes – “as masturbatory fodder would actually get him in trouble?”

Steve cocked an eyebrow, expression flat. “You're asking _me_ this.”

Bucky ignored him and took a step closer, head cocked, like the angle would somehow make the ridiculousness all make sense. “I mean, I get he wants everyone to remember that this is the _Stark_ Expo, but even Disney had his limits.”

“Could you please not defile the good Disney name by associating it with...” Steve swept his arm out at the literal _everything_ that had Tony’s name on it. “Whatever this is.”

“I think it’s supposed to be science, Stevie,” Bucky announced, because despite Stark’s name plastered around the hall, there was still some extremely cool science shit all over the place. Bucky had about died during opening night when Bruce had introduced him and Steve to Neil deGrasse Tyson. It had actually taken a nudge from Steve for Bucky to stop just blinking owlishly at the man and attempt to make words happen. Though it had been less actual words and more like squeaking gibberish. Not one of Bucky’s prouder moments.

“If that’s your way of calling Tony some sort of an experiment, I might just have to agree with you on that one.” Steve grabbed his hand before opening the door for him, and no, it most certainly _did not_ make Bucky blush. “The guy does always seem to be about one wrong chemical compound away from combusting.”

Bucky snorted as they made their way to the far end of the bar to order directly from the barista. Despite it being Christmas Day, the Stark Expo was packed and the line in the coffee shop – which actually _was_ a collaboration with Starbucks – was absolutely horrendous. Luckily, the Avengers had a front-of-line pass for everything there. Steve hadn’t been a fan of cutting in line, but Bucky was abusing it freely.

“Two of the biggest Peppermint Mochas you can make, soy milk, extra whip, all the toppings,” Bucky ordered, ignoring the way Steve’s eyebrows climbed higher and higher with every word.

_“Peppermint Mochas?”_

Bucky shrugged at Steve's disbelief. “One, it’s Christmas, and we need chocolate-y drinks of some sort. And two, it’s an off-the-menu item, and I refuse to order anything that is either a play on Tony’s name or one of the Avengers.” He left off the part about how none of the drinks was a play on _his_ name, but it was Tony, so that was kind of expected. Some days they loved each other, other days...not so much.

And it hadn’t even been two weeks since The Anniversary. So yeah, Bucky wasn’t surprised, just a little sad.

“Okay, but why the soy milk?”

“Tastes better that way.”

Steve shook his head. “I will never understand you.”

“Just keeping you on your toes, baby.” Bucky smiled and wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist to give him a small kiss. “Can’t get boring on you, now can I.”

“True,” Steve said, lips puckered in thought. “I’d have to kick your ass to the curb, go see what Sam’s up to.”

“Sam would deck you if you tried to kiss him.”

“Yes, but it would be _funny.”_

“And you say _I’m_ the weird one.”

They both laughed, then leaned in for a short, kind-of/sort-of PG 13 make-out session. God, but Bucky loved Steve, would never tire of him, of this, of _any_ of it. It was Christmas and they were enjoying themselves and the world around them. There were no aliens to speak of, no Hydra villains trying to take over some small country, no cartels that needed to be taken down...nothing. Bucky had the love of his life in his arms, had _finally_ gotten to have a pet around the house (even if she was evil, as all cats were), and he was getting to spend all of December nerding the hell out, and fuck, he was just happy. Just really really happy.

A cleared throat met their ears, and they reluctantly pulled apart to find a crimson-faced barista sliding a pair of Venti cups across the counter. “Your, uh, your drinks, sirs.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, and they grabbed their drinks and exited to the main floor. “So where to? Tony said something about a new installation?”

“Yeah. Installation.” Bucky huffed a derisive laugh, his joy from only a moment ago sliding away. He knew _all_ about the installation. He glanced at Steve out of the corner of his eye. “Tony had the Avengers made into giant marble statues, and they’re supposed to make up something called Avengers Alley.

“Really?” Steve weirdly perked up. “That’s kind of cool.”

“How is that cool? It’s just a bunch of statues of all you guys and that seems a little –”

 _“You_ guys?” Steve frowned. “Don’t you mean _us?_ You’re an Avenger, too.”

“Yes, but I think you’re forgetting that this is the _Stark_ Expo. As in _Tony_ Stark. You know, the same Tony Stark who hates me half the time, but doubly so around this time of year? Because of how I killed his parents that one time? Remember that?” It came out sounding harsher than he meant for it to. He actually never really faulted Tony when he was one in of his anti-Bucky moods. Admittedly they’d become fewer and fewer over the years – more just general annoyance because Bucky liked to annoy him. But after what Bucky’d done to his family, Tony had earned that right to hate him.

Honestly, he wasn’t totally sure why this was bothering him. Hadn’t he _just_ been thinking about how happy he was, like, thirty seconds ago?

“Hey, now.” Steve pulled him close, his eyes searching, concerned. “That was a long time ago –”

“Doesn’t make them less dead –”

“Let me finish, baby.” Steve kissed him to help shut him up. “It was a long time ago and you guys have been working really hard to find your middle ground. I think Tony has known you long enough – _you,_ Bucky Barnes – to understand that the person he knows now and the guy who killed his parents may share the same hands, but absolutely _do not_ share the same heart. Do you remember what your therapist told you in the beginning?”

Bucky nodded. “It’s possible for one person to be two people, and it’s up to me to decide which one matters more.”

Steve nodded back. “Mhm, and I think Tony gets that. Gets which one _you_ are. I think you both do.”

“Yeah, I know.” He really did, at the center of it all.

“So maybe let’s go see these ridiculous things, okay?” Steve ducked down to smile that goofy smile of his, and Bucky couldn’t help but smile back. “Let’s go see how idiotic we look when we’re fifteen feet tall.”

Bucky laughed. “Pretty sure you don’t need to be that tall to look idiotic.”

“Yeah, well, it’s part of my charm.”

~~~~

“So when he built these things three times to scale, he actually built _all_ of them three times to scale?” Steve asked as they both craned their necks up to look at the absolutely _ginormous_ statue of The Hulk. His mouth was open wide, as though in mid-roar, his arms stretched out in front of him, ready to smash whatever got in his way. Kids were running around the statue, trying to see how high they could climb, as wayward parents scrambled to drag them down.

“That’s a lot of marble,” Bucky murmured, slightly horrified. All he could currently think about was the fact that they’d all been witness to too many embarrassing incidents when Bruce’s pants had gone along with everything else, and what _that_ would look like to scale. Stuff of nightmares, probably.

Directly in front of the Hulk was a scaled statue of Bruce, arms crossed, glasses on, completely in Science Bro Mode. Bucky had to admit, he liked the fact that Tony had thought to make one for Bruce, as well – that he wasn’t just an Avenger when he was hulked out.

The statues so far had been unreal. They were all lined up on either side of a long black carpet with the Avengers ‘A’ logo running in giant, sporadic circles down the middle. The first two had obviously been Tony and Steve: Iron Man posed, ready to strike, and Captain America, standing with the shield raised high overhead, almost like he was thrusting an American flag into the air. There was a throng of people just around those two, clamoring for pictures with the giant superheroes. Bucky couldn’t get over the Steve Statue’s ridiculous pose, though. It was so ‘Rah Rah, America!’, Bucky hadn’t been able to stop snickering for a good five minutes.

Next to Steve had been Thor, with Bruce across from him. Since Nat and Clint came immediately after, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that the Original Six made up the start of Avengers Alley. It made sense, but Bucky also thought it sort of proved his point: if his statue would have been _anywhere,_ it would have been next to Steve’s – it was where he belonged, in life and in all things. No, he was right; there was no way Tony had made one of him. Not that he was going to mention it.

Bucky spotted Vision and Rhodey right after Clint, then Sam, standing next to Vision. Bucky couldn’t see who was on the other side of the frankly _huge_ War Machine suit (Bucky would never understand why Tony didn’t just upgrade that damn thing already).

“You gotta appreciate Bruce, though,” Bucky said, and turned back to the statue in question. “The way he’s posed, he looks more Frankenstein with his monster, than Jolly Green Giant.”

“We should start calling him Frankie behind his back, see how long it takes him to notice.”

“I feel like I’m starting to become a bad influence on you, Stevie.”

Steve snorted into his coffee. _“Starting?”_

“You know, been working on it since 1927. Figured I’d rub off on you eventually.” Bucky turned them to Clint’s statue, which had him arched back, bow and quiver drawn, ready to strike. “I will happily murder you if you ever tell him I said this, but you know, I’ll never understand how Clint makes a bow and arrow look cool. Like, the dude knows how to shoot a gun – has better aim than _me_ even, if you factor in the fact that he’s lacking all my shiny upgrades – and yet, he _chooses_ to use a weapon that stopped being useful in the mid-1800s. And, against the laws of God and Man, he makes it _work._ ”

“Yeah, I’ve got nothing on that one. During the attack on New York, at one point I’d honest to God thought the future really had gone mad, just at the sight of Clint _alone,_ carting that thing around.” Steve laughed, clearly lost in the memory. “Then I watched him shoot a chitauri off one of the chariots, not looking, from four-hundred yards out. Then I was convinced of it.”

Bucky laughed, because yep, that sounded about right. Suddenly, Steve nudged him, and he turned to see a little boy, easily no older than three, standing just off to the side, staring up at the statue, mouth hanging open in awe. He was dressed in the tiniest Hawkeye outfit Bucky had ever seen, complete with little bow and arrow, hanging forgotten at his side.

 _“Bucky,”_ Steve whispered, fervent.

 _“I know!”_ The kid was too damn cute for words, and Bucky would still never say it to his face, but Clint really never got the credit he deserved. He was so happy to see the guy had fans, even the tiny human ones.

“He really is that cool, kid,” he called out. “Trust me, I should know.”

The little boy startled at the grown adults suddenly talking to him, and tripped around the statue to hide. Bucky was just on the verge of apologizing and coaxing him back out, when the kid peeked around Clint’s leg, and his eyes went saucer-wide at the realization of who it was that had actually spoken to him.

“What did I tell you about frightening the locals, Barnes?” Bucky and Steve both turned to find Tony sidling up them, shaking his head. He was in his customary jeans and blazer, but instead of some band t-shirt, he was wear the ugly sweater equivalent of a Stark Expo shirt. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop with the murder stare.” He then turned to the little boy, who was now tucked in the arms of what Bucky assumed was his mother. The kid was still gaping at them. “Come to the photo op at six,” Tony called. “I’ll make sure the kid gets a picture with these two, and one special one with just Hawkeye!”

“Uuuhhh.” Steve and Bucky blinked at each other before Steve turned back to Tony. “Photo op?”

“What, you think you just got _that lucky_ that no one has stopped you for a photo or autograph today? PR, baby!” Tony pointed overhead to one of the jumbotrons:

ALL REQUESTS FOR PHOTOS WITH AVENGERS ON SHOW FLOOR WILL BE DENIED  
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY AT 6PM WITH MINIMUM $1 DONATION FOR  
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CHARITABLE SERVICE TRUST  
ALL DONATION LEVELS MATCHED 100x BY STARK INDUSTRIES

“All the guests were told they’d get one warning, then asked to leave,” Tony explained, as he turned in the direction of Nat’s statue. “A little harsh, sure, but sometimes we all need a break, and if a break means playing the fiddle for an hour or so, I think we’ll all survive.”

“And I’m all for giving back, Tony,” Steve went on, “but, don’t you think it would have been nice if you’d actually, you know, _told_ us about it?”

“I did.” Tony blinked at them, then kept walking. “I sent a memo. There was a memo, I’m sure of it. ‘Photo ops required by all in-town Avengers, Christmas Day at 6PM.’ Happy said Pepper sent the memo. Did you not get it?”

Steve sighed, deep. “No, Tony. There was no memo.”

“Well, I mean, I know _I_ wouldn’t have gotten one –”

“Bucky,” Steve warned, but Bucky ignored him.

“And, you know, it’s _fine,_ by the way,” Bucky continued as Tony frowned at him. He didn’t need Steve for this, but he also wasn’t looking to start a thing. “But Steve should have at least known.”

“Why wouldn’t you have gotten one?” Tony’s frown deepened even more. “It’s a little hard to keep up the whole Terminator aesthetic if all I’ve got is the T800.” He patted Steve’s arm, and Steve swatted it away. “Still need my T1000 to complete the set.”

“Um, isn’t it obvious?”

“Shockingly, even with an IQ well above 200, it’s really not.” Tony crossed his arms, his stance wide. “Spill it, Skywalker.”

“That was his right hand.”

“Semantics.”

“Well, I mean...” _Fuck,_ Bucky actually really did not want to have this conversation. “I’m not exactly your favorite person, Tony.”

Tony made a seesaw motion with his hand. “Meh, I’d say it’s about 50/50. Closer to 70/30 in your favor if I've had enough scotch. Still doesn’t answer my question.”

He turned to Steve, but he looked like he wanted no part of this. Bucky ended up just waving a hand down the alley, a little frantic. “I mean, there’s twenty plus Avengers here, but I’m not among them, so why would I be part of –”

 _“Woah,_ there, princess, back up a step.” Tony waved him off. “What do you mean, you aren’t among them?” He then turned and marched down the alley. “Did they forget you? I got the fucking invoice, they better not have – no, wait, you’re right here.”

Bucky pulled up short, as all the air left him in a rush.

There, on the other side of Rhodey, in full tac gear, his favorite _Kalashnikov_ held securely in his arms, but with an easy stance, tousled short hair, and a rakish grin on his face, was his very own giant statue.

His eyes traveled down and came to rest on the small placard at the bottom:

SERGEANT JAMES BUCHANAN “BUCKY” BARNES  
HOWLING COMMANDO WWII | POW 1945-2015 | AVENGER 2017 – PRESENT

He couldn’t believe it. There he was, standing over fifteen feet tall, and he looked like _him,_ not the Winter Soldier. Not a weapon, but a person. Every other placard had had the Avengers’ call signs on them. Even Thor had GOD OF THUNDER under his name. But not Bucky. He was just Bucky, just him.

“I was so sure...” he muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from his own damn face. He felt fingers curl into his own, and he squeezed.

“It’s nice to be wrong sometimes, huh.”

“Them’s fightin’ words, Rogers.” He huffed a laugh, right along with Steve.

“What, did you think I’d forget you?” Tony asked. “I’m hurt, Barnes. No, really. Heart breaking, and everything.”

“The opposite, actually.” Bucky finally tore his eyes away to give Tony a wan, sheepish smile. “I didn’t think you’d forget me; I figured you’d actively exclude me.”

“But wait, aren’t you an Avenger?”

“Well, yeah, but –”

“And despite all the times you’ve gone Fatal Attraction where your loverboy over there is concerned, haven’t you _also_ been a reliable member of the team?”

“Of course, I have, I would never screw around –”

“And haven’t _you and I_ fought side-by-side on countless missions?”

“Obviously, but –”

“Then, yeah, not seeing how you wouldn’t be included.”

“Okay, but.” Bucky still didn’t get it. “Look, you and I might have had our get-along moments, but that doesn’t mean you like me. Or want me around. Or don’t still want to actively murder me. Pretty sure that all still applies.”

“Oh, sure, it does.” Tony gripped his shoulder, eyes locked on Bucky’s. “Doesn’t make you any less one of us. We’re all fucked up, Barnes. How the hell do you think we got here? It wasn’t based on our looks, that’s for sure. Or, well, except me. Or anyone else. Really, I just mean you. You’re hideous.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Anytime.” He gave Bucky one last shake before turning to leave, headed back toward his own statue, probably to break his own rule. Sure enough, “Now don’t forget, six o’clock. Oh, and uh, Buckaroo?” He turned to walk backwards, and gave Bucky a small half smile.

“Merry Christmas,” he said, before getting swallowed up in the crowd.

Bucky watched him go, a little dumbstruck and a lot touched. He ducked his head down and wiped quickly at a tear that threatened to spill over, even as an arm slipped around his waist.

“See?” Steve’s voice was soft, gentle, in his ear. “What did I tell you. I think Tony knows you better than you think he does.”

“Yeah,” Bucky whispered, more to himself. Maybe Steve _was_ right. Truth was, he and Tony got along more often than not. Sometimes things weren’t great between them, but wasn’t that true of any family? Because, if anything, that’s what all these people were – his family. And he loved them and hated them in equal measure, just the way you were supposed to. And maybe that was all that really mattered in the end.

He wiped at his eyes one more time, then turned in Steve’s arms, a smile on his face. “I love you, you know that?”

Steve smiled right back. “Yeah, baby, I do.”

“Okay, good,” Bucky said with a nod, and placed a small kiss on Steve’s lips. Then he tilted his head back down the alley. “So wanna go see the rest of these losers? I heard Quill’s got a beer gut, and Strange demanded Tony change his nose three times.”

“Fucking doctors, man,” Steve quipped, with a laugh. “Always such prima donnas.”

“Nah, see I think it's the goatee, because he and Tony are just alike like that. Pretty sure that’s where the ego and narcissism lives.”

“Aaaand now I’m going to have to grow one just to piss you off.”

“Do it, and I’ll murder you in your sleep.”

“That’s my little Winter Soldier.” Steve laughed and kissed him on the temple as they turned down to check out the rest of the Avengers – their family, their band of brothers.

Later they would meet up with all twenty-something of them, all on the same planet and even in the damn room for once. They’d take group pictures and individual pictures, funny faces and serious shots, and they would raise over a quarter of a million dollars for charity.

Maybe Bucky really was a hero after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come play with me on tumblr at [stephrc79](http://www.stephrc79.tumblr.com/).
> 
> I promise I don't bite. Well, not unless you ask nicely.  
> ~~~~
> 
> All the artwork for [petite-madame's](http://petite-madame.tumblr.com) _The Life of Bucky Barnes_ can be found here on [Instagram](http://instagram.com/the_life_of_bucky_barnes/), and here on [Tumblr](http://the-life-of-bucky-barnes.tumblr.com). Enjoy!


End file.
